Hi all! I hope you're doing well.
It's that time again where everyone cozies up, gathers together, and starts discussing their favourite games of the year. Steam's way of doing this is The Steam Awards, where you — yes you! — can nominate your faves to be included in the running.
TUNIC wears its inspirations on its sleeve. It might seem a little odd, then, to suggest a nomination for the Innovation category. But I think it makes sense, based on what we've heard from the people who love TUNIC. The stories about TUNIC that fill me with joy the most are not necessarily the ones that say "it reminds me of game X"! or "it's Y meets Z, what a great combo!" It's the stories about how playing TUNIC evoked a feeling of true wonder and mystery, through the playing of the game itself. I won’t spoil anything here, but… you know.
(Nominations for the Steam Awards close tomorrow, November 29th. So, if you’re feeling nominate-y, now’s the time!)
I’ve done something I consider deeply self indulgent: a couple of times now, I’ve watched deep-dive videos about TUNIC. This is, as you might expect, a deeply weird experience. Having someone — or a whole community! — examine and speculate and philosophize about your work is equal parts ego-stroking, emotional catharsis, and pure delight. It allows us to look at the game through the eyes of the players who love it most, instead of through the eyes of people who have toiled over it for many, many years. We can see it as something beautiful, instead of as the product of a long, messy, journey of self-doubt.
When I’m able to look at the game this way, the thing that I’m most proud of is that we may indeed have found something really special with the design of TUNIC. If this sounds right to you, we’d be honoured to receive your Steam Awards Most Innovative Gameplay nomination. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Andrew